The US Navy's earlier ski-jump studies

Does the US Navy lack experience designing ski-jump carriers?

No. Earlier sea-control-ship studies considered ski ramps, and US-UK design exchange preserved relevant knowledge.

US sea-control-ship studies considered ski ramps, and the US Navy has long exchanged carrier-design information with the Royal Navy. That history does not make a modern conversion simple, but it means the conceptual and technical groundwork is already present. The distinction separates institutional reluctance from a lack of engineering knowledge.